Choosing a High Quality Dentist

There are a number of factors that should be considered when shopping around for a high quality and experienced dental office. After all, you are entrusting your oral health with them and everyone deserves the best. First we’ll take a look at some factors to keep in mind while looking around for the right dentist, then we’ll showcase what Pacific Smiles has to offer here in Redondo Beach.

• Qualifications of the Dentist: If you are shopping for a specific procedure, like Dental Implants or Veneers for example, it is important to know the background of the Dentist you’re considering. Their degree, qualifications, as well as any specialized training they may have received needs to be considered to ensure they are the right dentist for you and for that procedure. If you are having cosmetic work done, a dentist that has had specialized training in Cosmetic Dentistry would be a better choice than a general dentist not having any specialized training in this category.
• Experience: Next to the qualifications of a dentist would be their experience. As in any industry, the longer a professional has practiced their trade or line of work, the more experience they’ve gained. For Dentists, remember to factor any specialized training, extra certifications, and/or additional degree(s) in with the experience they’ve gained from the years they’ve practiced at their dental office.
• Friendliness and Caring of the Staff: This cannot be underestimated. You can find a very experienced dentist that may perform high quality work, but if your experience every time you visit makes you uncomfortable and not wanting to go at all, it makes the whole experience one you’d rather just avoid. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are many dental teams out there that truly care about your well being. Other than reading reviews and testimonials from a dental office’s patients, the only way you’ll be able to judge whether a dentist and his or her staff are friendly and caring is to make an appointment and see how your first visit goes. If you’re searching around for a specific procedure, a first appointment can be a general cleaning, or if they offer complimentary consultations, it can be a consultation appointment.  Did you feel welcomed during your visit? Was your first impression a good one? Was the staff knowledgeable and caring? These are all good questions to answer after your first experience with a dental office.
• Cost/Price: Perhaps one common reason to shop around for a new dentist is finding a lower price for a procedure you’re considering. It is good to know what the market offers, but also keep in mind what is included in the price that’s listed. For example, “Dental Implants for $2,500” may sound like a better deal than if they were listed at $3,000, but this lower price may not include a number of associated costs like creating and placing the final crown, the consultation, the exams, the x-rays, etc. and these additional fees may be individually charged on top of the dental implant price given. Whereas, another dentist offering “Dental Implants for $3,000” or more may have already included all these associated costs, so you’re not hit with additional fees in the end.
• Reviews/Results: Success is in the results. Talk to the dentist’s patients or read a number of reviews from them to see how their experience went with that particular dental office. When reading reviews, be sure to consider all or most of them since everyone is different and has different perspectives. A dentist’s existing patient’s testimony will be a great resource as to how caring the staff is and what to expect in an overall experience, while their teeth will show the quality of a dentist’s work. If before/after photos aren’t available on a practice’s website or social media page, request to see some before and after photos of the dental procedure you’re considering.

In regards to the above factors, please consider the competitive resume Pacific Smiles has to offer when searching for your South Bay dentist: